US satellite communications firm Globalstar said Wednesday it will launch six satellites manufactured by Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between France's Thales and Italy's Finmeccanica, in July or August.
Globalstar chief Tony Navarra said the launch was delayed by six months because of "a number of challenges to solve" such as delays in financing and damage to Alenia facilities from an earthquake in the central Italian city of L'Aquila on April 6, 2009.
Construction of some high-tech parts like satellite antennas formerly produced in L'Aquila was temporarily moved to Thales Alenia's industrial facility in Rome.
The satellites will be launched from Kazakhstan in July or August and will power Globalstar Inc.'s second-generation network servicing cell phones and other mobile devices.
The six satellites, the first batch of a planned total of 48, are worth 15 million dollars (10.7 million euros) each and are built to last 15 years.
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